To Inspire Opposition Unity in 2019, Sharad Pawar Invokes Congress Defeat In 1977

New Delhi: Sharad Pawar, the chief of Nationalist Congress Party, today said the current political environment is similar to 1977, when a united opposition took on the might of a single party - the Congress. The 77-year-old veteran political leader is one of the key interlocutors between the opposition parties that are trying to come together to foil the BJP's bid for a second term in power.

"In 1977, the downfall of one party started, and at one point, the government collapsed. A similar situation can be a possibility now if the opposition comes together," Mr Pawar told reporters, without naming the Congress. After the nearly two-year-long emergency, the ruling Congress was trounced in the general election by the Morarji Desai-led coalition, which remained in power till 1980.

The NCP chief's comments came days after a shot in the arm for the united opposition -- the BJP's defeat in the by-elections in Kairana, Uttar Pradesh.

Extending the formula that won the crucial by-polls of Gorakhpur and Phulpur -- the constituencies of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his deputy Keshav Maurya -- the Samajwadi Party,  Mayawati and the Congress had come together to support the candidate of Ajit Singh's Rashtriya Lok Dal.

The victory had spinoffs in Noorpur, the assembly constituency in Uttar Pradesh, which was won by the Samajwadi Party, and in Bihar, where Lalu Yadav's RJD won the Jokihat assembly seat.
The idea of a united opposition received boost at the oath ceremony of HD Kumaraswamy last month, as leaders of more than a dozen opposition parties got together in a huge show of strength.

The Congress and the JDS had come together in Karnataka in a last minute twist to keep the BJP out of power. In an unexpected move, the national party had chosen to play second fiddle to the regional partner - holding out hope for a new power equation for regional parties.